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missvelvetsstuff · 2 years

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Low Expectations

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Reader is low on self esteem when she meets Bucky. Can he convince her that she's the one he wants?

Warning: swearing and a little angst. Almost Canon compliant

Notes: just a simple story. Might be a couple of chapters if anyone is interested. Much of the situations, people and dialogue are from my real life. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Let me know what you think or if I should keep going.

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Y/N and her bff/roommate, Terri, were putting on the finishing touches before going out. "Terri, do we always have to go dancing? Once in a while I'd like to go somewhere that plays rock n roll, I'm full up on EDM and dance pop"

"Next time, I promise but I heard this club is supposed to be really good."

Y/N looked down on her tiny friend, being almost 6 feet herself "Good like great music or good like lots of hot guys?"

Terri smirked "Why not both?"

She sighed, maybe this place would be different. Every club or bar they went to all the guys flocked to Terri's side and she was practically ignored by everyone but the bartender. She didn't blame Terri, it wasn't her fault that she was a natural platinum blonde who tans like a freak and was a genius with make-up and clothes. Y/N on the other hand was tall, taller than a lot of men, curvy wearing a size 14 compared to Terri's size 2 and barely wore make-up. Life was too short to spend hours on your face.

It wasn't different. She sat at the table while guys lined up to dance with Terri. A couple bought Y/N drinks and tried to chat her up but it didn't take long for them to start asking about Terri. One guy that looked old enough to be her father but with his shirt unbuttoned and way too tight pants did ask her to dance but she couldn't bring herself to say yes.

After that she stopped agreeing to go out, claiming work or a headache or cramps or anything she could think of that might convince Terri to leave her out of it.

After a couple of months, Terri had enough.

"Y/N! I'm home now come on, we're going out tonite!" the door slammed as Terri walked in.

Y/N sighed "But Terri, I have a meeting in the morning and can't be out late drinking"

"No, no, no. You haven't left the house for anything but work in months. When is the last time you had a date or got laid? You'll never meet anyone like this." Terri scolded

Y/N shook her head "Like I'll find some meaningful connection at a bar. Geez, you sound like my aunt."

"Maybe but I'll bet your aunt has gotten laid more recently than you have" Terri teased

Y/N rolled her eyes, her aunt was a party girl who never grew out of it even in her 50's "Keep up that kind of talk and you'll turn me off of sex forever. Definitely for tonight"

"Oh no you don't. Freshen up and let's go."

"Fine but two drinks and I'm coming home. I really do have a meeting." Y/N smirked "and we better go somewhere that plays some rock."

At the club Terri picked up the first round and started looking around the room for potential victims. She stopped when she saw a good looking guy with a beautiful smile and gap between his front teeth and a brunette sitting together with her nemesis Tina Larson hanging all over the smile.

She nudged Y/N "Look at Tina, sleazing all over tall dark and handsome. I'll bet you the next round I can steal him away from her. I'll even direct the brunette towards you, his hair is kinda long, like you like."

Y/N's eyes got wide "Isn't that-?" Terri nodded.

Y/N shook her head "That's a sucker bet, no guy actually wants Tina Larson all over him and all of them want you. The brunette is cute but not my type."

Terri scoffed "He's totally your type! Why are you talking yourself out of it without even meeting him?"

Y/N shook her head "Because none of them even look at me when I'm with you. Remember last time? You had like 8 guys clamoring to get near you and a creepy senior citizen asked me to dance. Go get handsome but leave me out of your schemes."

She pulled out her phone to keep busy while Terri worked. She was distracted from her phone when Terri came back with TD&H and his friend. Smirking at Tina who was glaring daggers at Terri.

Terri sat on the smiles lap "Y/N, this is Sam and James, boys this is Y/N."

Y/N smiled "Nice to meet you"

They sat and talked for awhile before Y/N excused herself "Sorry but I have a meeting at work in the morning."

James stood and offered to walk her out "Could I get your number?"

She looked at him skeptically "It's ok, you don't have to. I know Terri is the goal."

He looked at her confused "What are you talking about?"

She shrugged "I know Terri is the one you guys always want. Being nice to me helps but sleeping with me is a big no no. She's a bit of a slut but won't touch you if you hook up with me first. Friend rules."

James shook his head "I'm not interested in Terri, she's not my type. I like talking to you."

She laughed "She's not your type? That's a new one. Look, you're cute and probably awesome in bed but I'm not interested in a pity fuck. I always hate myself in the morning."

He looked at her oddly "Did I do something to offend you?"

"No, I just know how things go. You can have my number but you won't call." She smiled sadly at him. "See you around"

James smiled "Yeah, I'm definitely gonna call."

A few nights later Y/N got home from work exhausted and raging from hormones, cramps and the creeps at work. She ate dinner then ate an edible and settled down with her heating pad to read in her room when Terri poked her head in "You sure you don't want to come? Maybe tonite is your night"

Y/N laughed "Sorry but I'm comfortable here and my cramps finally calmed down. Go have fun for the both of us."

Awhile after Terri left, her phone rang. Y/N didn't recognize the number so let it go to voicemail. Then she got a text

It's Bucky , we met the other night. I did enjoy talking to you and would like to do it again if you'll have me

Bucky?

Sorry, it's James, Bucky is my nickname

She laughed, he was the first guy to even bother trying to contact her in ages. The phone rang again, she answered

"Hello?"

"Hi, Y/N. This is James. We met the other night."

She was still laughing "I'm impressed that you called but I'm uh, med-i-ca-ted" she made air quotes that he obviously couldn't see "so not sure how interesting I can be"

He smiled "I have a feeling you are pretty entertaining when medicated"

"It's not my fault. I have vicious cramps and cannabis is better than opiates. OTC meds don't work." She explained matter of factly.

James blushed, glad that she couldn't see him and stammered a little "Oh. I see. I'm sorry you have to deal with that."

"It's not your fault, just life. Plus I had a shit day at work. Some of the men I work with are real cunts. You're not a cunt are you James?"

"No, I mean I try not to be."

She yawned "That's not very convincing. Are you sure?"

His brain scrambled for a way to convince her. "What if I prove it? I'll make you laugh. A cunt wouldn't make you laugh"

Y/N giggled "Probably not on purpose. So prove it."

He started

"Three pregnant women were sitting in an ob/gyn office talking about becoming mothers and speculating on the sex of their babies.

-The first one said 'I got pregnant with my husband on top, in a manly position so we are going to have a boy'

-The second one smiled 'My husband and I were in a womanly position with me on top so I'll bet we have a girl'

-The third one burst into tears and when the others asked her what's wrong she bawled out 'We're having puppies!'"

Y/N laughed out loud and James thought it was beautiful. "So what do you say?"

When she finally stopped laughing enough to speak she replied "Ok, that wasn't bad, you might not be a cunt. I guess you can call me again but I'm about to crash right now. Bye James"

"G'nite Y/N" James sighed softly as she hung up.

The next few days they spent most evenings on the phone getting to know each other. She was trying to fight it but could feel herself falling for him. She was afraid of having her heart broken. Again. But she couldn't help herself. He was so sweet. And funny. She really wanted him to be for real but still had her doubts.

After 2 weeks James was finally able to convince Y/N to go on a date with him.

She told him about a diner she had discovered when she first moved in with Terri. "It looks awful but it's clean and the food is perfection. We used to save up change and share a plate of fries and a shake once a month. When we were too broke to go out. Now we go for important milestones and celebrations. The bacon-avocado-cheddar burger is orgasmic. Seriously."

James laughed "Wow, how could I possibly say no to orgasmic. Meet you there at 7 on Friday?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you Friday. But now I have to get some sleep. G'nite James."

"G'nite, Y/N"

On Friday morning Y/N fussed over her clothes and make-up a little more than she usually would on casual Friday, even letting Terri do her make-up after promising to keep it light. She wore black jeans with a purple peasant style blouse and black booties. She left her hair down and added some dangly earrings.

When she was finished, Terri stood back and whistled at her "I'd totally do you" and they both giggled.

By the end of the day Y/N was wound up from excitement and too much coffee. Her work friend Sheila was trying to get a group to go for happy hour but Y/N begged off, whispering "I have a date"

Sheila squealed "Ohmygod, tell me!!

Y/N shook her head "Nope. I don't want to jinx it. You'll just have to wait till next week."

Sheila winked "Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do?"

Y/N laughed "That leaves pretty much everything open but I don't want to get ahead of myself. See you on Monday."

When Y/N made it to the diner she was already 10 minutes late and her date wasn't there. She sighed but tried to stay hopeful and sent him a text. No response after 20 more minutes so she texted him again, hoping he was ok, and headed home. She tried not to cry but was really disappointed. She really thought he might be for real but a better offer must have come along.

Bucky was on a plane with Sam heading out to deal with the remnants of the Flag Smashers. He kept checking his phone, shaking his head and swearing. He knew Y/N would think he stood her up but he couldn't get a signal. He was really looking forward to seeing her again and hoped she would forgive him when he got home.

Sam just watched and shook him head "You alright over there, Robocop? Need some help with your phone?"

"No, I was supposed to meet someone for dinner tonight and I can't get a signal to call her"

Sams eyebrows went up "Her? Did you find yourself a girl Barnes?"

Bucky blushed "No. I don't know. maybe. Remember when we met Terri and her friend Y/N?" Sam nodded. "Well, Y\N and I have been talking a lot since then. She's kind of insecure, I guess Terri always gets all the attention when they are together and I don't want her to think I stood her up but I can't get a fuckin signal."

"I'm sure she'll understand if you explain when you get back"

Bucky shook his head "But then I'll have to tell her who I am. I don't want to scare her away."

Sam chuckled "Since Terri knew who I am I'm pretty sure your girl does too. Since she has been talking to you since that night I think you'll be alright."

Bucky paled "Are you sure? Fuck! I gotta find a way to call her."

Sam tried to calm him "Look, give me her address and I'll have Torres send some flowers after he drops us."

"I don't have her address. I haven't seen her since that first night and we were meeting at the diner tonite. I finally meet someone who seems real and everything blows up. This is the universe telling me something, I-"

Sam patted him on the shoulder "Don't be a drama queen, man. It's just a hiccup. You'll explain when we get back." He flashed a shit eating grin "So she's pretty cute right? I remember she was almost as tall as you. What's she like?"

Bucky smiled "She's sweet and smart and funny in a silly but sarcastic way." His eyes glassed over as he thought about her.

When Sam told him it was time to go he cleared his head to focus on the mission and tried not to think too much about her.

Chapter 2

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #james bucky barnes #james bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #low expectations

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melodicfix8 · 3 months

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#key to happiness #low expectations #lower expectations #lowest expectations #people suck #life lessons #don’t expect anything #don’t anticipate anything #never expect anything #dark humor

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bryan360 · 7 months

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The Netflix version of “One Piece”; I’m a sucker after watching it as well. Of course like other anime live-action adaptations, it won’t be long before if things came falling down to continue.

Sorry for negative thoughts for a bit; just being honest at this point. At least so far this adaptation of One Piece was fine.

I’ll be sticking with the classic, though.

#text post #my text post #netflix #one piece #my thoughts #after watching it since it released #low expectations #etc.#september 2023 #september 15th 2023

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my-shields-are-down · 1 year

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my one complaint about the episode last night is that i thought we would see more angst on the chenford front not just scenes of them at the beginning and end of the episode like i thought they would be tested like where was that part?

Are you referring to the episode description? Sorry to tell you this, but both the episode description and the promos we see are designed to get people to watch the episode.

Remember network TV is basically another mechanism for companies to spend money (buy ads) on commercial breaks and get a massive captive audience to watch their ads. The story that we the fans love so much is a small part of the money generating machine at ABC/Disney.

Season 3 + 4 were the worst. The promos rarely had anything to do with what actually happened on the episode. I stopped watching them because they were rarely right.

All that said, IMO there was plenty of angst for Chenford in that episode. Well, the members of Chenford:

Tim: pointed out that if Lucy became a detective, they wouldn’t see each other as much. He led an unsuccessful chase through the streets of LA, but the guy got away; and most importantly he killed someone. A fellow cop. That’s a huge deal. Very angsty.

Lucy: stressed about the detective’s exam in two weeks (hardly any prep time); found out one of the interview panel was basically going to blackball her, killing her chances of even passing the exam, much less scoring in the top 12; very sad and upset that she and Tim won’t be spending as much time together when she becomes a detective. Finds out she’s being black balled by a detective because of her 5-player trade (which I still don’t understand); and she finds out from Smitty of all people; and she doesn’t know how to help Tim cope with killing someone.

Tons of angst, and angsty situations. They may not have been directly tested in that episode but there’s plenty of ways in future episodes they could be tested. What if IA doesn’t approve Tim for duty? What if Lucy doesn’t pass or doesn’t get in the top 14 of the detective’s test? What if Tim killing that guy triggers his PTSD, what if Tim can’t cope with the hours, the violence, the deaths that come from working Metro long term? And with Isobel coming back next episode- tons of angsty situations there as well.

For me, I take the promos and the descriptions and analyze and react to all the possibilities before the episode happens, then erase everything from my mind and delete any and all expectations for an episode. That way, I am usually happy with the episode and really enjoy myself and the show.

But that’s me. You do you.

#ask me anything #ask andrea #low expectations #plenty of angst in that episode #chenford #tim bradford #lucy chen #the rookie #tim x lucy #i love them #i'm in chenford withdrawal #is the hiatus over yet

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colesstar · 9 months

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Why does Zane have like ultimate rizz like wdym you just gave a girl you like half of your HEART???? Pixane wedding when???

ugh to have a man give me half his heart (he would die if that happened irl and it is highly illogical and the situation would never arise nevertheless i wish)

#zane ninjago #ninjago #low expectations #pixal borg

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iberiantalesif-game · 16 days

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Hey so just a quick reminder, but in the intro post when it comes to the romance point you wrote "Witch" instead of "Which", which would be the correct form.

I would correct it if I knew I would not make the same mistake again LOL.

Thanks for the remider tho <3

#if game #if wip #anon ask #writting-goblin #low expectations

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 7 months

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By: Brian Conrad

Published: Oct 2, 2023

When I decided to read every word of California’s 1,000-page proposal to transform math education in public schools, I learned that even speculative and unproved ideas can end up as official instructional policy. In 2021, the state released a draft of the California Mathematics Framework, whose authors were promising to open up new pathways into science and tech careers for students who might otherwise be left behind. At the time, news reports highlighted features of the CMF that struck me as dubious. That draft explicitly promoted the San Francisco Unified School District’s policy of banishing Algebra I from middle school—a policy grounded in the belief that teaching the subject only in high school would give all students the same opportunities for future success. The document also made a broad presumption that tweaking the content and timing of the math curriculum, rather than more effective teaching of the existing one, was the best way to fix achievement gaps among demographic groups. Unfortunately, the sheer size of the sprawling document discouraged serious public scrutiny.

I am a professional mathematician, a graduate of the public schools of a middle-class community in New York, and the son of a high-school math teacher. I have been the director of undergraduate studies in math at Stanford University for a decade. When California released a revised draft of the math framework last year, I decided someone should read the whole thing, so I dove in. Sometimes, as I pored over the CMF, I could scarcely believe what I was reading. The document cited research that hadn’t been peer-reviewed; justified sweeping generalizations by referencing small, tightly focused studies or even unrelated research; and described some papers as reaching nearly the opposite conclusions from what they actually say.

The document tried hard to convince readers that it was based on a serious reading of neuroscience research. The first chapter, for example, cited two articles to claim that “the highest achieving people have more interconnected brains,” implying that this has something to do with learning math. But neither paper says anything about math education.

The CMF is meant only to guide local districts, but in practice it influences the choices they make about what and how to teach. Even so, the version ultimately adopted by the State Board of Education is likely to distort math instruction for years to come. Armed with trendy buzzwords and false promises of greater equity, California is promoting an approach to math instruction that’s likely to reduce opportunities for disadvantaged students—in the state and wherever else educators follow the state’s lead.

In my position at Stanford, I’ve heard from people around the country about the math preparation necessary to attain a variety of degrees and succeed in a range of careers. A solid grounding in math from high school—which traditionally has included two years of algebra, a year of geometry, and then, for more advanced students, other coursework leading up to calculus—is a prerequisite for a four-year college degree in data science, computer science, economics, and other quantitative fields. Such a degree is, in turn, the price of entry for jobs not only in the sciences and Silicon Valley but also in a number of seemingly distant fields. A data scientist at a company that makes decisions about how and when to store, freeze, and transport food once told me that he and his crew “could not do our jobs” without fluency in areas of college-level math that require previous mastery of the basics.

Without overtly saying so, California is building off-ramps from that kind of math. The CMF pitches relatively new courses, branded as “data science,” both as an alternative to a second year of algebra and as an entry point into fast-growing career fields. But the course name is something of a misnomer.

In private industry and higher ed, data science describes a powerful synthesis of computer science, mathematics, and statistics that seeks to extract insights from large data sets. It has applications in industries as varied as health care, retail, and, yes, food-supply logistics. The ability to do actual data science rests on math skills that have been taught for eons. Data literacy would be a better name for the most widely taught high-school data-science classes, which were developed by UCLA’s statistics department and my own university’s Graduate School of Education. To be sure, schools should be teaching citizens enough about statistics and data to follow the news and make educated financial and health decisions. Many parts of the math curriculum can be illustrated with engaging contemporary data-oriented applications. But much as a music-appreciation course won’t teach you how to play a piano, data literacy is not data science.

Advocates of the new courses have suggested that they produce better outcomes for groups, such as girls and students of color, that are traditionally underrepresented in mathematics. But proponents should own up to the downstream effects: In practice, steering sophomores and juniors away from Algebra II forecloses the possibility of careers in certain fast-growing quantitative fields—which would seem to do the opposite of promoting equity. Many schools in Europe and Asia separate students into different career paths early on in their education, but a key goal of the American system has been to help students keep their options open. In other contexts, the CMF is notably skeptical of efforts to group students in math class according to ability, out of a fear that disadvantaged students will be placed in low-expectation tracks that they can never escape. But for some reason, shunting them away from advanced math is portrayed as progress. The STEM fields won’t increase their diversity through math classes that contain very little math.

Ultimately, I ended up submitting 170 pages of documentation about extensive flaws in the CMF draft that I read. I was hardly the only one finding fault. A multiracial national coalition of more than 1,700 quantitative experts from higher education and industry strongly objected to the early drafts. Faculty in the University of California and California State University systems wrote letters warning state officials against prematurely steering students away from algebra-intensive academic and career options. UC administrators had begun to allow data-literacy courses to fulfill Algebra II admissions requirements, but a faculty working group representing all campuses in the system voted unanimously this summer to reverse that policy.

Before the State Board of Education in California approved the third version of the CMF in July, officials did try to address some of its flaws. Although school officials in San Francisco had largely ignored parents who questioned the district’s policy against offering Algebra I in middle school, critics refused to give up, and for good reason. A recent working paper from three Stanford researchers indicates that the San Francisco Unified School District’s decade-long experiment was a bust. The percentage of Black and Latino students taking advanced math courses did not increase. Some students who would otherwise have studied calculus as high-school seniors were unable to do so. The kids who succeeded in reaching calculus typically did so through extracurricular measures, such as summer classes. Later CMF drafts quietly removed the mention of the SFUSD policy while still generally endorsing the ideas behind it.

Meanwhile, the ideas that animate the CMF—particularly its endorsement of data-literacy classes as a substitute for math and its suggestion that large swaths of the traditional high-school math curriculum are obsolete—are popping up in other states. In Ohio, for example, a menu of alternative math “pathways” in high school has been touted as providing entry into a variety of appealing and lucrative careers. But the pathways labeled for data science and computer science remove many Algebra II skills; the fine print reveals that the pathways are inadequate for students who might want college degrees in those fields. School officials in Middletown, Connecticut, have proposed to revamp the traditional calculus track by scaling back on preparations for eighth-grade Algebra I and introducing mash-up algebra-and-geometry courses that would magically pack three years of instruction into two.

Unfortunately, not every state has a critical mass of academic experts and private-sector tech practitioners to push back when school systems try to rebrand an inferior math education as something new and innovative. The students who are most reliant upon public schools are the most harmed when districts embrace policies based on superficial appeals to equity or false promises about future job opportunities. When only the children of families with resources beyond the public schools are gaining preparation for the lucrative degrees and secure jobs of the future, public education is failing in a primary duty.

Brian Conrad is a mathematics professor and the director of undergraduate mathematics studies at Stanford University.

[ Via: https://archive.md/OuKIa ]

Nothing good comes of lowering standards or encouraging students to opt out of challenge.

A class in Math Appreciation is not not a substitute for Math.

#Brian Conrad #corruption of education #mathematics #math #maths #ideological corruption #ideological capture #equity #math equity #math education #low expectations #bigotry of low expectations #math appreciation #religion is a mental illness

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